Himalia

astronomy

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June 29, 2026

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Himalia is one of Jupiter's moons, discovered in 1904. It is the largest of Jupiter's irregular moons, with a mean distance of 11,461,000 km from the planet and an orbital period of 250.6 Earth days. Himalia has a diameter of approximately 85 km and a density between 1.3 and 2.4 g/cm³. It is part of a group of moons with prograde orbits, meaning they orbit in the same direction as Jupiter's rotation. This group also includes Leda, Lysithea, and Elara.1

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Jupiter
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The closer group—Leda, Himalia, Lysithea, and Elara—has prograde orbits. (In the case of these moons, retrograde motion is in the direction opposite to Jupiter’s spin and motion around the Sun, which are counterclockwise as viewed from above Jupiter’s north pole, whereas prograde, or direct, motion is in the…
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The closer group—Leda, Himalia, Lysithea, and Elara—has prograde orbits. (In the case of these moons, retrograde motion is in the direction opposite to Jupiter’s spin and motion around the Sun, which are counterclockwise as viewed from above Jupiter’s north pole, whereas prograde, or direct, motion is in the…
Read More